Malta recently launched possibly the best cultural strategy the island has ever seen. But, asks Veronica Stivala, is a snazzy strategy enough to take Malta forward on the cultural map and why were there hardly any women on the panel? Culture stalwart and adviser Peter Jenkinson answers some of her questions.

Peter Jenkinson, OBE, opened the launch of the Create 2020 Strategy held last month with a successful attempt at pronouncing the full title of the event: Oħlom Oħloq, no mean feat for a foreigner.

This, together with a quick chat we had in between sessions revealed a man who is passionate about Malta and who shares our enthusiasm for this exciting time in Malta’s cultural calendar.

The launch introduced possibly the best cultural strategy Malta has ever seen, a clear five-year plan (2016-2020) with a well-defined vision.

This vision involves placing the arts and creativity at the heart of Malta’s future through five goals – to nurture creative potential, to invest in artistic excellence, to connect Malta to the international artistic community, to provide more opportunities for people to engage in creativity and to build the capacity of Public Cultural Organisations.

To implement these goals, nine strategic tools have been identified and to make the goals even more achievable, 70 actions have been set out.

The strategy was presented by Toni Attard, the director of strategy at Arts Council Malta and the driving force behind this ambitious, yet achievable, strategy.

While ‘strategy’ is not the sexiest of words, Attard succeeded in drawing a substantial crowd to the day-long launch, which was paired with a number of pertinent culture-related debates and discussions. And he succeeded in making the strategy attractive – both physically, in the form of a snazzy, colourful booklet and in an easy-to-understand document.

Peter Jenkinson

Of course, however perfect a strategy may be, it needs to be implemented. Admitting to stating the obvious, Jenkinson notes how the strategy has to be adopted and supported by all those involved in the cultural and creative community and many other communities on the islands, too.

“It will require a real positive commitment from the whole community to be open to new possibilities and new ways of working, to willingly collaborate and generously share in unprecedented ways and to engage in a long-term team endeavour,” he says.

As he gently stated at the conference, this moment will require everyone to be grown-up and to think more about the ‘we’ and less about the ‘me’; more about the ‘us’ and less about the ‘I’.

Jenkinson is considered a giant on the cultural sector in which he has worked for over 20 years, passionately advocating and acting for deep and lasting change. Interestingly, he also has close ties with Malta, of which he speaks incredibly fondly. He has been in Malta many times over the last decade, in his role as a historian and former museum director. He even honeymooned here.

Creators need all the support they can get to freely build a vibrant contemporary Maltese culture without unnecessary interference or bureaucracy

“I have been privileged to be part of many conversations and events relating, in particular, to Malta’s fascinating history and heritage,” he says.  Most recently, he contributed to Heritage Malta’s 1565 conference, organised by Liam Gauci and the first public event at Fort St Angelo.

Jenkinson speaks poetically of Malta’s “incredibly rich and complex” identity, one which is not initially entirely apparent.

“It seems to me,” he says, “that what you first see is not the whole story. You, therefore, need to spend time to look, to listen and to dig a little under the surface in order to begin to appreciate the immense and enticing subtleties and nuances of Maltese culture.”

Malta’s identity is an important factor to discuss in view of one of the key points that emerged during the conference: the necessity for Malta to become international, both in terms of exporting its product as well as collaborating internationally. But how international should a country become in order to ‘fit in’? Where does one draw the line in maintaining a cultural identity while at the same time being conformist?

Jenkinson stresses how Malta, in reality, has always been ‘international’, as evidenced by its rich history of connections across the Mediterranean and beyond, including Malta’s extensive global diaspora. So, he says, it is not a question of choosing whether or not to be international and more a question of exactly how to be international in the wider world today.

“If Malta is truly to fulfil its creative potential, then its home-grown talent will need, and demand, to be part of international networks and communities,” he points out, adding that a contemporary Maltese culture needs to be distinctive and grounded in its own context, but also to reach out to a wider world if it is to continue to grow and develop.

In addition to launching the strategy, the conference also served as the platform for a number of important discussions. From Jenkinson’s point of view, what was so encouraging was to meet so many artists, makers and creative people, many of them optimistic young people, who are passionately committed to making a difference in Malta and who are excited about the period ahead.

“These dreamers and creators need all the support they can get, as well as the space to freely build a vibrant and inclusive contemporary Maltese culture without unnecessary interference or bureaucracy,” he says.

Jenkinson was also struck by the number of creatives who have chosen to move from other parts of the world to Malta, and who also want to be part of this progressive, socially-engaged cultural and creative movement, focusing on a positive and inclusive future for all.

Talking about inclusion brought me neatly to my next question. The majority of the panel were men, where were the women? There were 21 men and seven women in total at the conference. Jenkinson replies that this imbalance is not unusual, in any circumstance.

“Your observation would probably be true in the UK too,” he says, while admitting that it is something that he is very aware of.

“In time,” he continues, “there surely has to be a better balance.” He reveals how it occurred to him, while in Valletta, that in the public squares there are many statues of men and yet none of women (other than Queen Victoria).

“Over the weekend I asked many Maltese friends to name a monument that celebrates a woman and they were surprised to find they couldn’t. Wouldn’t it, therefore, be interesting to ask the public which women have contributed to Malta’s story? There must be many whom they would like to see celebrated.”

Learn more about the strategy at Arts Council Malta’s newly launched website www.artscouncilmalta.org.